Tornadoes

No, tornadoes and hurricanes are distinct weather events with different causes and characteristics. Tornadoes are small, intense columns of rotating air that form in severe thunderstorms, while hurricanes are large, organized storm systems that develop over warm ocean waters. While they can occur in the same general area during a hurricane, they do not combine or mix.

Alaska's climate is not conducive to the formation of tornadoes because the state lacks the necessary conditions for them to occur. Tornadoes typically form in regions where warm, moist air collides with cool, dry air, and Alaska's cold climate and geographical location make it unlikely for these conditions to come together.

Yes, tornadoes can occur in Idaho, but they are relatively rare compared to other states in "Tornado Alley." The mountainous terrain and cooler climate of Idaho make tornadoes less common, but they can still form under the right conditions, typically in the eastern part of the state.

An in correct and, unfortunately, commonly cited explanation of how tornadoes form is along the lines of "hot and cold air mix together ans swirl." While a collision of warm and cold air often plays a role in tornado formation, it is not a direct cause of tornadoes.

Tornadoes themselves do not produce lightning. Lightning is typically associated with thunderstorms, which can be present in the same weather system as tornadoes. Lightning occurs due to the separation of positive and negative charges within a thunderstorm cloud.

December has the least number of tornadoes, closely followed by January

On average, Nebraska experiences around 57 tornadoes each year. The tornadoes range from weaker EF0 and EF1 categories to stronger EF2 and EF3 categories. Nebraska typically sees the highest tornado activity in the spring and early summer months.

The average tornado is 50 yards wide and about 5,000 feet tall.

In some cases a tornado may be less than 10 yards wide. In extreme cases a tornado can be over 2 miles aide and over 60,000 feet tall.

The central United States, often referred to as Tornado Alley, is the most common place to see tornadoes. This region includes states like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Tornadoes can occur throughout the year, but they are most frequent in the spring and early summer months.

The Fujita scale is used to classify tornadoes based on the damage they cause. It ranks tornadoes from F0 (weakest) to F5 (strongest) based on the estimated wind speeds and the extent of damage to structures.

It is usually just called a debris cloud or dust whirl.

No. The winds of a tornado are concentrated in a much smaller area. Typically the winds of a hurricane affect an area a few hundred miles across. By contrast the winds of a tornado usually affect an area less than a quarter of a mile wide and rarely more than a mile.

A waterspout is a column of rotating wind that descends from a cumulus cloud to the ocean or a lake. Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes but form over water. They can be dangerous for boats in the vicinity due to strong winds and rough seas.

Oklahoma is located in an area known as "Tornado Alley" where warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold, dry air from the Rocky Mountains, creating ideal conditions for tornado formation. The state's flat terrain and geography also contribute to the frequency of tornadoes.

Meteorologists use a variety of information to predict tornadoes, including atmospheric conditions like temperature, humidity, and wind direction. They also use radar data to track storms and look for signs of rotation that could lead to a tornado. Additionally, historical data and computer models are used to help forecast where and when tornadoes may occur.

Big puff clouds are typically referred to as cumulus clouds. These clouds are large, white, and fluffy in appearance, usually forming on fair weather days.

Tornadoes are most common in the US during the spring and early summer months, typically peaking in the late spring. They can form at any time of the year, but are most frequent during this period due to the clash of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico with colder, drier air from the north.

Cumilonimbus clouds do not form in tornadoes; tornadoes formin in cumulonimbus clouds. A cumulonimbus cloud forms when a warm, moist pocket of air rises and the moisture in it condenses, releasing heat that keeps the air rising. This is what drives any thunderstorm. Under the right conditions, the storm my start to rotate, and this rotation may eventually lead to the formation of a tornado.

A tornado in a bottle is a simple science experiment that demonstrates the formation of a vortex, similar to that of a real tornado, using water and dish soap in a plastic bottle. By swirling the bottle in a circular motion, a mini-tornado is created inside the bottle due to the movement of the liquid. It is a fun and educational way to observe fluid dynamics and turbulence in action.

That is correct. Tornado Alley is a region in the central United States known for its high frequency of tornadoes, extending from Texas to Iowa. This area experiences a large number of tornadoes each year due to the collision of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico with cold, dry air from Canada.

Tornadoes are less common in the western US due to the region's topography and weather patterns. The presence of mountains and cooler Pacific Ocean temperatures reduce the necessary conditions for tornado formation, such as warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico interacting with cold, dry air. Additionally, the jet stream typically steers storm systems and associated tornadoes more frequently to the central and eastern US.

Tornadoes are highly unpredictable. On a time scale of hours it is possible to determine if a general region is at risk of tornadoes. On a time scale of minutes we can determine if a thundershower might soon produce one.

Rising air is a key factor in tornado formation. If the air is warm, moist, and unstable enough it can cause strong thunderstorms as it rises. Given a few other factors the updraft of a thunderstorm can then produce a tornado.

wall clouds can range from a fraction of a mile up to nearly five miles in diameter, and are normally found in the south or south west (inflow) side of the thunderstorm. when seen from within several miles, many wall clouds exhibit rapid upward motion and cyclonic rotation. however, not all wall clouds rotate. rotating wall clouds usually develop before strong or violent tornadoes, by anywhere from a few minutes up to nearly an hour. wall clouds should be monitored visually for signs of persistent, sustained rotation and/or rapid vertical motion

It is difficult to determine. Some of the earliest accounts of scientific inquiries go back at least as far as the middle of the 1800s. It is possible that scientific accounts were made before them that have been lost or have been hidden in some obscure corner of a library for the past century.

Perhaps the earliest account of a tornado from an actual scientist was one by John James Audubon, of a tornado near the Illinois/Indiana line in 1814. However, Audubon primarily studied birds and was merely present to witness the tornado. A man named James Espy appears to have conducted some study of tornadoes at least as early as 1840. By that time he had developed a hypothesis about tornadoes, which was later proven wrong. The person who may be regarded as the father of the study of tornadoes is John Park Finley, who began his research in 1879.